Former rugby player Nick’s scrum-my desserts at his new shop
A NEW Derby dessert shop is hoping to appeal to residents’ sweet teeth after launching last week.
The Dessert Den, based in the Square in Mickleover, was opened on Thursday, August 19, by former rugby player Nick Adams.
It offers a wide range of sweet treats including waffles, crepes, cookie dough, milkshakes and homemade cakes and cheesecakes.
The business began as a delivery service for two nights a week during the pandemic earlier this year, and you can still get your desserts delivered as well as being able to eat in.
Nick, whose wife Emma is from Mickleover and runs Milly May’s coffee shop in Ladybank Road, said that he hoped the shop would bring something new to the community.
He said: “The idea came just from research and seeing how trends are changing, and how the last two years have changed attitudes towards feel-good foods.
“It’s an alternative to the pub or a restaurant, you don’t always want to go for a meal with three or four kids so sometimes a sweet treat in the evenings is what people want and we found it’s been very well-received in the local area.”
The shop is open from 2pm to
You can’t just go to a restaurant to have a dessert – this is actually a dessert restaurant.
10pm on Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays, and 3pm to 10pm on Sundays, with delivery options also available in the evenings.
His team of four make all their desserts in-house, with Laura baking all of the shop’s cakes at home.
It completes a radical career
Nick Adams
change for Nick, 43, who has swapped rugby balls for aprons after a 12-year professional rugby union career which included a four-year spell at Aviva Premiership side Wasps.
But following a stint in coaching after retiring ten years ago,
Nick’s aim is to let his food do the talking by leaving customers happy.
He said: “It’s just something different. You can go out to a restaurant and have a dessert, but you can’t just go to a restaurant to have a dessert – this is actually a dessert restaurant.
“What we’re trying to do is to separate the two and also offer something a bit more affordable for families.
“A three-course meal for six people is quite a lot of money now, but also for younger people who aren’t in the pub age bracket, somewhere to come, safe and sound and have a milkshake, relax and have a good time.
“I say to the staff, the most important thing is that everybody leaves happy and it’s a quite a cool environment because mostly people are quite happy when they’re coming for an ice cream.”